BOSTON – Almost immediately after the first mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines were approved for emergency use and were given to individuals outside of clinical trials, reports of anaphylaxis – a full-blown sensory reaction. life-threatening bodies – widespread concerns among experts and the general public. Now, real – world data on vaccines among Brigham Mass General staff provide evidence of the rarity of side effects, and the potential for recovery from them. The results are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are the first of their kind, and they have remarkable efficacy and safety across all populations. Accurate information about allergic reactions to these vaccines is essential, not not only for our current situation, but also because this new vaccination platform is so important for future pandemic responses, ”said lead author Kimberly Blumenthal, MD, MSc, co – director of Clinical Epidemiology Program within the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology.
With this in mind, Blumenthal and her colleagues decided to record all sensory reactions, including anaphylaxis, once they began vaccinating workers at Mass General Brigham. The team analyzed staff studies to estimate the frequency of allergic reactions after mRNA vaccines and used several diagnostic methods to identify the true frequency of anaphylaxis.
Among 52,805 employees (including an estimated 4,000 with severe allergies to food and medications) surveyed after receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, 2% re- sensory impairment, and anaphylaxis at a rate of 2.47 per 10,000 people. . “To put this in perspective, this is largely in contrast to anaphylactic reactions from common antibiotics,” Blumenthal said.
The researchers noted that while the frequency of anaphylaxis was higher than the level assessed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – which set the rate at 0.025 to 0.11 per 10,000 vaccines – it is still very low and should promise, especially to individuals. with a history of food or drug allergies. “The only allergy inhibition for a vaccine was the prior occurrence of anaphylaxis to an inactive ingredient in the vaccine, called polyethylene glycol, or a cross-reactive inactive ingredient called polysorbate,” says the t. co-author Paige Wickner, MD, MPH, medical director. of the Department of Quality and Safety at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “Another important aspect of our study is that all of our anaphylaxis cases recovered – no one had anaphylactic shock or needed a breathing tube, even for a period of time.”
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Another co-author is Adam B. Landman, MD, of Brigham’s Department of Emergency Medicine. The other authors are Lacey B. Robinson, MD, MPH, and Aleena Banerji, MD, of the Department of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology at MGH; Carlos A. Camargo, Jr., MD, DrPH, of the Department of Emergency Medicine MGH; and Erica S. Shenoy, MD, PhD, of the Department of Infectious Diseases MGH.
About Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital in Harvard Medical School. Mass General Research Institute conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the country, with an annual research work of more than $ 1 billion and includes more than 9,500 researchers working across more than 1 million researchers. on 30 institutions, centers and departments. In August 2020, Mass General was named # 6 on the U.S. News and World Report list of “America’s best hospitals.”
About Brigham and Women ‘s Hospital
Brigham Health, a global leader in creating a healthier world, is made up of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Physicians Association and many related resources and programs. With more than 1,000 patient beds, approximately 60,000 inpatients and 1.7 million outpatient appointments each year, 1,200 Brigham Health physicians provide expert care in almost all medical specialties and surgery for patients locally, regionally and worldwide. An international leader in basic, clinical and translational research, Brigham Health has nearly 5,000 scientists, including physician researchers, distinguished biochemical researchers and faculty with supported by more than $ 700 million in funding. Brigham ‘s medical discipline dates back to 1832, and now, with 19,000 employees, a rich history underpins its commitment to research, innovation and community. Boston-based Brigham and Women’s Hospital is a teaching associate of Harvard Medical School and committed to educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. For more information, resources, and to follow us on social media, visit brighamandwomens.org.
Mu Mass Mass Brigham
Mass General Brigham is a unified academic healthcare system, uniting great minds in medicine to bring the impact of life-changing to patients in our communities and to people around the world. Mass General Brigham combines full continuing care across a system of academic medical centers, community and specialty hospitals, a health insurance plan, physician networks, community health centers, home care, and long-term care services. Mass General Brigham is a non-profit organization committed to patient care, research, teaching and service to the community. In addition, Mass General Brigham is one of the leading biomedical research organizations in the country and a principal teaching instructor at Harvard Medical School. For more information, visit massgeneralbrigham.org.
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